Screaming Eagles coach: ‘Everyone has a chance’

Marc-Andre Dumont, with a trip to Russia straight ahead, is under the gun to finalize his roster and build a contender in Cape Breton

Forward Cameron Darcy will not attend the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles’ training camp because he is preparing for his first tryout with the Tampa Bay Lightning. (ADRIEN VECZAN / Staff)

It’s only early August but Marc-Andre Dumont is already under the gun to finalize his roster.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles head coach and general manager is giving himself a little more than a week to pick his team, but it’s a time crunch he welcomes.

“We have an exciting trip planned to Russia to play some exhibition games so we need to have all our decisions made by Aug. 17th,” Dumont said. “We had to get permission from the commissioner to open camp two days early so our first day on the ice will be Saturday. Every player we’ve invited to camp will have a visa application on the go because everyone has a chance to make our team.

“But we have a lot of returning players and we set clear objectives for every one of them for the summer so assessing how those objectives were met will be fairly quick. The players know what we expect and for a lot of them it’s going to be their second camp with me and our current coaching staff so we’ll know right away where they stand. Then all we have left is to see if there are other guys who might cause surprises and we will also fill out our lineup with rookies. Obviously with the number of players we have returning we only have a few spots available but it will still be a competitive camp. Nine days should be enough time to finalize our roster.”

Dumont is counting on 13 regulars from last year’s team and newcomers Evgeny Svechinkov, Francois Brassard, Jonathan Deschamps and Mason Gray to form the nucleus of his roster. First-round pick Pierre-Luc Dubois is also a virtual lock for a spot, leaving little room for the numerous drafted players from the past two years.

It’s a major reason why Dumont is only bringing 41 players to camp, although he is also quick to add he has never been a coach to offer guaranteed roster spots.

“We’re in a position where we’ve created competition in our lineup, not only to make the team but also to have duties on special units and on lines that will get more ice time,” Dumont said. “We will still have a lot of competition and I expect everyone to be ready for that.”

The only potential returnee who is certain not to be back is defenceman Justin Hache. He signed a contract with the Arizona Coyotes in April and will start his pro career this season.

There’s also a strong possibility all-star forward Cameron Darcy will not be back for a second season in Cape Breton. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in June and will not attend Cape Breton’s camp or travel to Russia in order to focus on his preparation for the NHL team’s training camp.

“We’re very, very happy and proud of Cameron Darcy,” Dumont said. “It’s a great success story for our team and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. This is a kid that at 16, 17 and 18 was playing in the U.S. Development Program but it wasn’t working out for him so he came here, finished as our top scorer, made the league’s second all-star team and is drafted into the NHL. He had a good camp at development camp in Tampa Bay and it looks like he has a good chance to sign a contract in September.

“Going to Russia would’ve been an incredible experience for him but if he did that, he would’ve come back four days before his rookie camp with the Lightning. That wouldn’t have been a good situation for him and we want him to be at his best for that camp so we were totally comfortable with him training on his own. Our objective is to help players get to the next level so we support him, but if Tampa decides in September to send him back he’ll play for us.”

Dumont has always had a plan in place for the possibility Darcy wouldn’t be one of his overagers this year. Forwards Charles-Eric Legare and Kyle Farrell were key contributors last year and the Screaming Eagles traded two draft picks to the Quebec Remparts in June for Brassard.

“Getting Francois was an important trade for us and Charlie and Kyle were 34- and 35-goal scorers last year so there’s nothing wrong with having them as 20-year-olds, that’s for sure,” Dumont said. “They’re quality players and quality people so we’re fortunate enough to have good depth with our 20-year-olds this season.”

First-round pick Michael O’Leary is the only other notable player not expected in camp but there was always a good chance that was going to happen anyway.

“We knew when we drafted Michael he had his eyes set on going the U.S. (college) route,” Dumont said. “We’ve had contact with the family but that’s about it.”

The Screaming Eagles play their first pre-season game on Aug. 15 on the road against the Saint John Sea Dogs.